Plans to adapt the Grand Atlantic housing complex into a luxury condo hotel have been given the go-ahead by the Development Applications Board.

During a meeting last week, the DAB granted MacLellan & Associates final planning approval for the proposed Bermudiana Beach Resort, a hotel facility to be created from the existing buildings at the Warwick site.

The application proposed adapting 70 of the 78 residential units on the site into 104 tourism units, while the remaining eight residential units would be turned into hotel amenities such as a reception area, a restaurant and a bar.

The units would be subdivided by use of common hallways and lock-off doors so that the three-bedroom units on the site can be rented as two single bedroom units and a studio unit, while the two-bedroom units can be divided into a single bedroom unit and a studio.

The site would be operated as a condo hotel, through which individuals would be able to purchase units.

The purchasers would be able to stay in the units for a maximum of 90 days per year, while units would form part of the hotel inventory for the rest of the year, rentable to tourists on a daily basis.

Revenue from such rentals would be split between the owner of the units and the hotel operating company itself.

The proposal also suggested the instillation of elevators in all but one of the buildings, the creation of a resort pool and extensive landscaping work.

The Planning Assessment stated: “The proposed condo hotel makes best use of the existing buildings and infrastructure and the intended improvements by way of landscaping and architectural embellishments improve the site from an aesthetic perspective.

“The proposed condo hotel will create a new tourism product for the Island and will be beneficial to the economy in a myriad of ways.”

Government announced earlier this year that they signed a memorandum of understanding with MacLellan and Associates.

The developers also announced plans to further support and stabilise a nearby cliff face, which had been a major area of concern for opponents of the development.